Valve actuator and indicator.



F. H. (3 MEY.

VALVE ACTUATOR AND INDICATOR.

APPLIGATIQN FILED OCT. 14, 1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK H. G. MEY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

VALVE ACTUATOR AND INDICATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. C. MEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Valve Actuators and Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a valve-operating mechanism and indicator designed-more especially for the valves applied to the air supply trunks of pneumatic malting and drying apparatus, although the same is equally applicable to valves or gates of other conduits and apparatus.

The object of my invention is the provision of a convenient valve actuator and indicator which permits the valve to be adjusted to a predetermined position for supplying the de sired quantity of hot, cold, tempered or moist air to a malting drum or other apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a malting apparatus provided with the improvement. Big. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view, partly in section, of the valved air-trunk and the operating mechanism of the valve and indicator. Fig. 3 is a transverse section in line 33, Big. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar section in line 44, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section in line 5-5, Fi 3.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A indicates a malting drum of any suitable construction; A its stationary casing, B an air trunk or conduit, C a pi e leading from the trunk to said casing and I I a fan or blower connected with the trunk for forcing air into the same and through the malting drum. In practice, separate air trunks are connected with the apparatus for supplying dry cool air to the drum during the steeping process of the grain, moist air of the proper temperature during the germinating stage, and dry hot air for drying the malt. The particular trunk shown in the drawings is the hotair trunk and the inlet pipe at of the blower is to be connected with a suitable furnace, not shown.

E indicates a valve, preferably a slide valve, arranged at the junction of the air trunk B and branch pipe 0 for controlling the passage of the air into the drum casing A In the construction shown in the draw- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 14, 1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial No. 457,651.

ings, this valve consists of a plate resting upon ledges c secured to the side walls of the trunk. The valve is preferably operated by a gear pinion f secured to a shaft F and meshing with a rack bar E secured to the underside of the valve, the projecting end of said shaft having a hand wheel f. This shaft is arranged crosswise of the air trunk and supported in a practically air tight housing or downward-extension G of the trunk which is arranged on the rear side of the branch pipe C and incloses said pinion, the rear portion of the rack bar and the rear portion of the valve when opened more or less. A similar housing G is preferably arranged on the front side of said branch pipe.

H represents a pointer controlled by the operating mechanism of the valve E and traversing a scale I for indicating the position of the valve from the outside of the air trunk B. In the preferred construction shown, this scale is arranged horizontally or longitudinally on one side of the air-trunk, and the pointer extends upwardly from a rack-bar J arranged on the underside of a horizontal track or platform K secured lengthwise to the adjacent side of the air trunk. The shank of the pointer passes through a longitudinal slot 7c in the track K and is suitably secured to the rack bar J. The latter is suspended from suitable trucks or carriages M running upon the track K,

'two of such carriages being shown in the drawings, although a different number may be employed, if desired. The rack bar J may be connected with the frame of the trucks by vertical screws or bolts j passing through the track-slot k, or other suitable hangers or connections. The rack bar J is reciprocated by a pinon n meshing therewith and secured to the valve-operating shaft F.

As shown in the drawings, the projecting end of the shaft F is preferably carried by a han er 0 secured to the underside of the traci K.

It will be understood from the foregoing that when the valve E is opened more or less by the rotation of the shaft F, the rack bar J which carries the pointer is shifted lengthwise correspondingly, causing the pointer to move along the scale I and indicating the extent to which the valve is opened. The scale is suitably graduated and numbered, so that the valve can be readily opened to a predetermined degree for accurately regulating the quantity of air supplied to the aparatus connected with the airtrunk, this ein an important consideration, for examp e, in the treatment of grain for manufacturing malt.

I claim as myinvention:

1. The combination of a trunk havin a slide-valve, means for actuating the va vc including a shaft carrying a gear-Wheel, and arranged transversely to the direction of movement of the valve, a rack-bar slidably sup orted on said trunk and meshing with sai' ear Wheel, the rack bar being arranged. at rig is angles to said shaft, and an indicator carried by said rack-bar;

2; The combination of a trunk having a valve, means for actuating the valve including a shaft having a gear Wheel, a track adjacent to said trunk, a carriage running upon said track, a rack-bar su ported by said carriage and engaging sai gear Wheel, and a pointer carried by said rack-bar.

3. The combination of a conduit having a valve, means for actuating the valve including a shaft having a gear-wheel, a track secured to the outer side of the conduit and having a longitudinal slot, a carriage run ning upon said track, a rack-bar arranged on the underside of said track and suspended from said carriage by connections passing through said slot, said rack-bar en aging said ear Wheel, and a pointer carried y the rackar.

4. The combination of a conduit having a valve, means for actuating the valve including a shaft having a gear-Wheel, a track secured to the outer side of the conduit and having a longitudinal slot, a carriage runnin upon said track, a rack-bar on the un erside of said track suspended from said carriage and engaging said gear Wheel, and

a pointer carried b T the rack-bar and extending through sai track-slot.

5. The combination of a trunk having a scale, a slide-valve in the trunk movable lengthwise thereof and having a rack-bar, a track secured lengthwise to the outer side of the trunk, a carriage running upon said track, a rack-bar suspended from said carriage, a pointer carried by the last-named rack-bar and traversing said scale, and an operating shaft having gear Wheels engaging said rack bars, respectively.

l Vitness my hand this 12th day of October, 1908.

FREDERICK H. O. MEY. I

Witnesses:

G. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM. 

